Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1887-11-24
ANNlHlLATED.


Fearful Havoc Wrought by the Explosion
ofOver q Ton of Dynamite-The Build
ing 1T Was Stored in and Six Human Be-
ings Literally Annihflated-A Startled
and Mortified Community.
HANCOCK, Mich, Nov. 17.-This town
and Houghton were startled just before
noon yesterday by the sound of what was
first believed to be the explosion of one OF
a number of the large powder-houses that
are situated just outside the town limits.
The noise was terrific, shook the town as
il by an earthquake, and at once the
streets were filled with excited people,
none of whom knew certainly what had
happened, but nearly all of whom hurried
toward the powder-houses with blanched
faces and trembling limbs. Arriving there,
it was soon seen that none of them had
blown up, and the crowd separated into
small parties, who hurried from one part
of the town to another, endeavoring to
solve the mystery. Across Portage lake,
half-mile distant, the people of Hough-
ton could be seen running half frantic in
all directions, and evidently as puzzled as
the people of Hancock to know the origin
of the explosion. No one could be certain
from what direction the noise came, as it
had been so tremendous as to give one
feeling that it had filled the air for
miles.
As one O'Clock approached, however,
the wife of William Lapp came up to one
group, who were excitedly discussing the
explosion, and asked if any one had
thought that something might have hap
pened at the chemical works. where her
husband had worked, with others, making
dynamite. The men she addressed acted
for a moment as if paralyzad at the
thought of an explosion occurring there,
and then. with Mrs. Lapp, started for the
works. They are, or were, located four
miles out of town and not far from the
lake.
Arriving there the party were astounded
at what they saw, or rather because there
was nothing whatever to see. The pack
ing house of the chemical works had been
as clearly swept from the face of the
earth as though it had never existed at
all. At first, expecting to see at least
fragments, those present could see
nothing whatever, but on arriving on
what had been the site Of the works tiny
splinters of wood and here and there
minute fragments of the iron roof were
found, but not a bit of bone,
drop of blood or shred of flesh
remained of the six persons who were
working in the packing.works at the time.
These persons were: Willie Renaud,
Charles Burkett, Thomas Thompson, Tim
Crowley and Willie King, all boys be-
tween fifteen and eighteen years of age,
and VIM. Lapp, Jr., married man, who
| leaves a widow and one child. All were
known in both Hancock and Houghton.
Just where the building stood was hole.
conical in shape, and about twelve feet
deep, and in this the sand was packed as
hard as cement, showing the force of the
explosion.
The packing-hou was a small one, and
situated at a distance of quarter of a
mile from the other buildings of the
works. Every building was more or less
shattered, and the employees who were
| nearest describe the explosion as all but
stunning them out of their senses. Sew
eral were knocked down, but escaped with
few bruises. They describe the eXplo-
sion as awful CONFUSION, and
say the packing house disappeared
In great ball of smoke, and
that no fragments could bs seen.
They were too frightened to come to town
and give an alarm, but ran about almost
aimlessly, hoping to come upon some one
of the persons who had been at work in
the building. There was about 1900
pounds of dynamite in the packing-house,
and the persons working there were simply
re- arranging the boxes of the explosive
to secure more storage room. just what
caused the explosion will, of course, never
be known.
Fatal accidents are common in this,
copper mining district, but an explosion
which has killed six persons, leaving not
even fragment, so far as yet known, OF
any of them, strikes the town as an ap.
palling tragedy. The usual occupations
of the people are forgotten, and hundreds
stand about the neighborhood of the ac-
| cident fascinated as at the scene OF a
horrible murder.
Joseph Labelle, foreman of the works,
had left the packing house before the ex-
| plosion, and was not one hundred feet
| from it w hen it went up. He was thrown
| to the ground and stunned, but his in
iuries will not prove fatal. He is at
| loss to account for the explosion.
| The glycerine house and laboratory,
which stood only a short distance away,
were totally wrecked, and several large
iron acid tanks, standing several RODS
| from the packing house, were blown 6OO
| feet into the forest, where they were
| found twisted out of all shape. The main
buildings of the company luckily escaped
serious damage.
Search was begun at noon for the
bodies of the six victims, and continued
by friends and curiosity-seekers until
nightfalI. All that was found was
| dozen scraps of human flesh of the siz Q or
| a half-dollar.
Foreman Labelle says there was over a
! ton of dynamite in the packing house.
The force of the explosion was felt thirty
miles distant, and in the two villages or
Houghtou and Hancock, four miles from
the chemical works, the damages to plate
glass and buildings will aggregate many
hundreds of dollars. The loss to the
| Hancock Chemical Company will be
very heavy-$I0,00o at least, perhaps
more The scene about the wrecked build
ing from few minutes after the eN-
nlosion until nightfall were heertrending.
! Fathers, mothers. relatives and sweet
hearts of the victims were on the ground
searching for their dead, but the shreds OF
flesh or bone could not be identified.
Engine and Thirteen Cars Wrecked.
R.rrIE CpEEK Mich. NOV. 16-AS 9